Sanders, along with filmmaker Michel Moore, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, economist Darrick Hamilton and other experts, will discuss poverty in America, the 40-year decline of the middle class, the growing power of corporate interests and how we an economy that works for all Americans.read more

The logic that underpins the ruling is so convoluted as to appear arbitrary. The Appeals Court judge’s curious logic works this way: less tenants qualify for affordable housing assistance today than actually exist in the state of New Jersey because their need for affordable housing developed during a period that affordable housing was not legally mandated in the state (during the years 2000-2015).read more

In a 2014 article, WaPo’s Emily Badger interviews Kristof on the topic of systemic racism: how it affects its victims and why it’s so difficult for white Americans to see that their advantages cause other people to be disadvantaged. read more

Debbie Wasserman Schultz … embodies the tactics that have eroded the ability of Democrats to once again be the party of the working class. As Democratic National Committee chair she has opened the floodgates for Big Money, brought lobbyists into the inner circle and oiled all the moving parts of the revolving door that twirls between government service and cushy jobs in the world of corporate influence.read more

Source: whitehouse.govThis may sound way out there but I can totally relate to the difficulty 1 in 3 families have with the expense of diapering their babies, because I had it too when my kids were diaper age – a couple of decades ago. Tomorrow at SXSW, President Obama will announce the new ublic-private-donation partnership the White House is brokering called The Community Diaper Program, which is designed to bring a comfy diaper to every baby’s bottom.

The combination of these efforts created the Community Diaper Program, launching today, and available to any 501(c)(3) organization in the United States. Now, any non-profit (whether or not they currently provide diapers to families they serve) will able to purchase diapers as much as 25 percent cheaper than the current available price, with no minimum order and 48 hour shipping. This process addresses head on the storage and timing challenges expressed by non-profits in the field. The National Diaper Bank Network, which nationwide operates over 280 diaper banks (similar to food banks), estimates that their members will order more than 15 million diapers through this program in 2016 alone. Best of all, the Community Diaper Program is sustainable, fiscally and organizationally, and will continue to benefit families for years to come…read more

Source: YouTube Video Hillary Clinton in Black HistoryVery informative and disturbing video shows the positions Hillary Clinton has taken on issues that severely impact black communities. Or as curator Jeanette Johnson-Jing puts it: A summary of Hillary Clinton’s role in the recent history of African Americans…One viewer commented:

This is a most powerful piece. Before I knew it, the tears began rolling: they have to be “brought to heel”: the repetition and visuals… OMG!?

Sometimes I ask myself why black people would support this woman … it seems such a mystery in light of all that she and her husband have done to hurt the community. I guess the Clintons with their pretty talk and powerful rhetoric have convinced black and brown supporters to play blame the victim with them – as if doing so were a game rather than the destruction of hopes, dreams, lives and families.read more

Source: Vets for BernieThe Young Turks report on Hillary’s comeback to the New Hampshire debate question: will she share the transcripts of all of her speeches, even the ones she made to Goldman-Sachs? In a nutshell, Hillary’s answer was no, not really. We’ve learned that Hillary’s speaking contract stipulates that they be recorded both digitally and by a hired stenographer; and that she retains full copyright protection for all of her words.

A CNN analysis found that, since 2001, Hillary and Bill Clinton have received $153 million in speaking fees, with at least eight speeches given by Ms. Clinton to big banks for $1.8 million. The media has repeatedly asked Ms. Clinton to release the transcripts, to which she sarcastically responded on ABC’s This Week, “Yeah, you know, here’s another thing I want to say. Let everybody who has ever given a speech to any private group under any circumstances release them all—we’ll all release them at the same time.”read more

Source: BreakingBrown.com Hillary was the opening speaker at the 2015 NAACP National Convention in Philly last year, and Bill closed out the speaker roster. Were the Clintons there on a freebie basis in order to raise votes for Hillary, or did they get a portion of their customary speaker fees? For Hillary, that’s $225,000 per speech. She earned $9 million from speaking fees in 2013 and since 2001 the couple have netted $153,000,000 (yeah, million) total. At least some of that money came from Goldman Sachs.

As foundations and wealthy individuals funnel money into global development, what “solutions” are they pursuing?

Melinda and Bill Gates at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2009. (Photo: World Economic Forum/flickr/cc)

From Warren Buffett to Bill Gates, it is no secret that the ultra-rich philanthropist class has an over-sized influence in shaping global politics and policies.

And a study (pdf) just out from the Global Policy Forum, an international watchdog group, makes the case that powerful philanthropic foundations—under the control of wealthy individuals—are actively undermining governments and inappropriately setting the agenda for international bodies like the United Nations.read more

Source Beverly & Pack on Twitter: Patriotic Uncle Sam & Rosie the Riveter support Barack Obama as the next president of the USAWith money comes power, and some have plenty of money, so watch out America: the Koch Brothers wealth increased by $12B in 2014. They’re after your food stamps and other nutrition programs. They want Obamacare dismantled … and same for the United States Post Office, Social Security and housing assistance programs. They want prison populations increased and public education, gone forever. They want to house our parents and grandparents in homes where they decide what food and care they will get. They want to own our food systems and determine how well we eat. They don’t even want us growing our own food, unless they sell us the seeds.read more

Source: Oxfam Working for the Few Report 2014Don’t forget: the world’s 85 richest people now have as much wealth as the poorest half of the world.

Oxfam introduces its Jan 2014 report Working for the Few with a quote from US Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, “We may have democracy, or we may have wealth concentrated in the hands of the few, but we cannot have both.” The report is concerned with the “growing tide of inequality” and the concentration of wealth in the hands of a very few individuals.

With money comes power, and these guys have plenty of money, so watch out America: the Koch Brothers wealth increased by $12B in 2014. They are after your food stamps and other nutrition programs. They want Obamacare dismantled … and same for the United States Post Office, Social Security and housing assistance programs. They want prison populations increased and public education, gone forever. They want to house our parents and grandparents in homes where they decide what food and care they will get. read more

http://obamacarefacts.com/I’ve been waiting for someone with authority to come out and say this. Now Uber CEO Travis Kalanick has, and a New York Magazine reporter expands on the theme: universal healthcare in America is a problem for capitalists (represented by the GOP), because it both frees workers from staying at a job just for the health benefits and it knocks down a barrier to entrepreneurship. Capitalism always need an underclass to exploit but quality universal healthcare will make it harder to exploit workers. The worker that can easily leave a job for better conditions, opportunity or pay is a worker who has negotiating strength and may even have enough money to compete with his boss.read more